Daniel 6:22

My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Daniel speaks to Darius, standing alive in the den's mouth after a night among lions, in the moment the king has come to see whether he will be devoured.

The words — סגר (sāgar, "he closed") is a blunt, physical verb: God did not calm the lions, He shut their jaws. The object is פום (pām, "mouth"), singular in force even though the lions are plural.

The thread — Hebrews 11:33 compresses this event into the phrase "shut the mouths of lions" as a mark of faith. Psalm 91:11 supplies the mechanism Daniel names: the Lord commanding His angels to guard.

Why it lands — Daniel grounds his survival in two facts: God sent the angel, and he was innocent "in His sight," not in the king's. The reader is asked to notice that vindication here is defined before God, with the king's judgment secondary.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

אֱלָהִ֞י'e.la.H/iGod/ my שְׁלַ֣חshe.Lachhe sent מַלְאֲכֵ֗הּmal.'a.Khe/hangel/ his וּֽסֲגַ֛רu./sa.Garand/ he closed פֻּ֥םpum[the] mouth of אַרְיָוָתָ֖א'ar.ya.va.Ta/'lions/ the וְלָ֣אve./La'and/ not חַבְּל֑וּנִיcha.be.Lu./nithey harmed/ meכָּל־ko/l-as/ toקֳבֵ֗לko.Velbecause דִּ֤יdithat קָֽדָמ֙וֹהִי֙ka.da.Mo./hibefore/ him זָכוּ֙za.Khuinnocence הִשְׁתְּכַ֣חַתhish.te.Kha.chatit was foundלִ֔יL/ito/ meוְאַ֤ףve./'Afand/ also קָֽדָמָךְ֙ka.da.ma.yi/khbefore/ you מַלְכָּ֔אmal.Ka/'king/ O חֲבוּלָ֖הcha.vu.Laha hurtful act לָ֥אla'not עַבְדֵֽת׃'av.DetI have done

King James Version

My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Cross-references

2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.
Hebrews 11:33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
Psalms 91:11 For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Acts 12:11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
Acts 24:16 In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.
1 John 3:19 And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:
Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
Numbers 20:16 and when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice, sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory.